Gainesville, FL – The FCSAA #5 Santa Fe Saints (3-0) got their season off to a good start on Friday night at Hillsborough CC, defeating the Hawks 8-4 in 12 innings and continued the solid play on Saturday at home against South Georgia College, winning both games of a double header 2-1 and 12-5. The three wins came in just over a 20 hour span.

On Friday night the Saints trailed 4-1 heading in to the top of the ninth inning against HCC but exploded for three runs to tie the game and send it to extra frames. Sophomore Caleb Denmark came up with the big blow, belting a two run homer (1) to pull the Saints to within one. Catcher Blake Berger finished the rally, knocking in a run with a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 4-4.

In the 12th first baseman Graham Cason broke the tie with a two runs single. The two insurance runs came on a bases loaded walk to Casey Scoggins and a sac fly by Berger.

The Saints tallied eight hits in all, two from freshman Jared Shouppe and one each from six different players. Denmark (1-0) hit the lone homerun of the game and also picked up the win on the mound with three innings of one hit ball in relief of starter Josh Larson.

On Saturday Santa Fe welcomed South Georgia College to Gainesville and proceeded to take both games of the double header against the Tigers. JT Simpson twirled a gem in the first game, scattering four hits in 6.2 innings of the seven inning game. Derek Vail recorded the final out of the game for SF to pick up the save, the first of his collegiate career.

Right fielder Jonathan Camp started the fifth inning rally that netted both Santa Fe runs with a double and eight and nine hole hitters Casey Scoggins and Jared Mederos each came up with RBI hits to put the Saints in front 2-0. South Georgia scored one unearned run in the seventh.

Camp finished game one 2-for-3 with a run scored and third baseman Colby Lusignan was 2-for-3. Mederos and Scoggins were each 1-for-2 with a RBI.

Game two started off with a bang for South Georgia as the Tigers jumped ahead 1-0 in the first and added a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Center fielder Andrew Fears got the Saints on the board with a one out, two run triple in the bottom of the fifth to cut the SGC lead to 5-2.

In the sixth inning the flood gates opened for Santa Fe. The Saints scored 10 runs on seven hits and five walks to complete their second late inning comeback in as many days put the game out of reach. All 10 runs came with two outs.

The inning started off smoothly for the Tigers who recorded outs on two of the first three batters. From there it was all Saints as the next 12 batters reached base and 10 runs crossed the plate. Fears broke the inning open with a two run triple to give the Saints their first lead of the game 6-5 and two batters later Caleb Denmark put an exclamation point on the game with a monstrous three run homerun to left field, putting SF ahead 9-5. Lee Dunnam and Casey Scoggins drove in the next two runs and the final run scored on a wild pitch.

Andrew Fears led the offense going 2-for-4 with two triples and four RBI, Jonathan Camp was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, Josh Stewart with 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Casey Scoggins finished 2-for-2 with a RBI.

Luke Helms picked up the win with three innings in relief. Kevin Martin started and pitched four innings, allowing two runs and two hits and Clayton Wagner surrendered three runs in one inning of work.

The Saints next game is at home on Wednesday, January 30 at 3:00 PM against defending FCSAA champions Polk State College.